1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of computer software, and more particularly, to a system and method for inhibiting the processing of new code modules by an outdated runtime environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many computer users have runtime environments installed on their computer systems for executing or processing various kinds of code modules. For example, a Java Runtime Environment is used to execute Java™ code modules. It is common for users of computer systems such as desktops, tablets, or phones to download and execute code modules from websites in order to run applications such as games, file uploaders, banking apps, etc.
The code modules processed by a runtime environment are often downloaded from potentially unsafe sources. Malicious parties often try to disguise malicious code modules as legitimate ones. An unsuspecting user may download a malicious code module which, when executed by the runtime environment, installs a virus or performs other malicious operations on the user's computer system. Malicious code modules often exploit security vulnerabilities in the runtime environment to perform their malicious operations.
Another problem associated with the execution of code modules in a runtime environment is that the runtime environment may not be completely stable or bug-free. Even if a code module is legitimate, the code module may not execute correctly if the runtime environment has stability problems.
The developer of a runtime environment can attempt to address these issues by periodically providing updates to the runtime environment to fix known security vulnerabilities and stability issues. However, this may not solve the problem completely because users may not upgrade to the new version of the runtime environment when informed that it is available.